Attractive forces slow contact formation between deformable bodies underwater.

ABSTRACT: Thermodynamics tells us to expect underwater contact between two hydrophobic surfaces to result in stronger adhesion compared to two hydrophilic surfaces. However, the presence of water changes not only energetics but also the dynamic process of reaching a final state, which couples solid deformation and liquid evacuation. These dynamics can create challenges for achieving strong underwater adhesion/friction, which affects diverse fields including soft robotics, biolocomotion, and tire traction. Closer investigation, requiring sufficiently precise resolution of film evacuation while simultaneously controlling surface wettability, has been lacking. We perform high-resolution in situ frustrated total internal reflection imaging to track underwater contact evolution between soft-elastic hemis

SUBMITTER: Sun M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8521715 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature